The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-08-20
LIGHT DRESS FABRICS.
The Best ana Most Harmless way Of
washing and Renovating Them.

inc ccaTctaker Oh tne Iamlly apparel is not
infrequently puzzled about the pro-
cess by which their renovation is ac-
complished. OF course, there is always
the professional cleaner or the skilled
laundress, but they are not always at
hand. and, besides, their charges are
sometimes quite high. A thorough
understanding of the methods by which
silks and wool goods are cleaned is
not as generally possessed as it should
be. To be sure, if the garment has q
complicated drapery and elaborate or
namentation the amatuer will find it
difficult to take it to pieces; therefore,
when this is the case the dry cleaning
must be restored to. Persons who are
fond of summcry tints in their dress
fabrics should remember that simple
methods of making up are the best for
India silks, pongeos, light woolens, etc.
There was time when white goods
OF all kinds were washed only in hot
water and then hung up to dry where
they could not be much chilled while
still wet; experience has proved, how
ever, that the result of using cold water
is much more desirable. If the gar
ment is white or of any color that q
thorough washing can not injure, no
matter If the material be wool goods
or of silk of any soft, uncorded quality,
such as India, Canton. pongee, foulard,
etc., it should be put into cold in
which enough CASTLE or other similar
soap is dissolved to make a slight suds.
If the water is hard tea-spoonful or
more of powdered 'borax may be added
to each gallon. In this cold soap suds
permit the garment to soak three or
four hours; then rub, or rather squeeze,
it, after dipping in the water several
times. After this process seems to have
been sufficient to exhaust the purifying
qualities of the water, examine the
parts most soiled and, without rubin g
too much, dip them in a solution COM
posed of equal parts of soap and water,
squeezing them in the hands. Press
the water out with the hands and place
the fabrics in clear cold water for rims
ing. If not quite clean by this time,
again dissolve soap in the water and
leave the articles to soak another hour;
then rinse and squeeze as before, shake
out vigorously and hang up to dry.
Do not permit the best articles to
freeze, nor woolens to become quite
dry before they are pressed. The iron
should be moderately hot and be APP
piled on the wrong side only. Every
part should be smoothed until quite
dry, and all the seams pressed open or
closed as when first made up. If this
| process be followed the material will
be equal to new. Even flannels already
thickened by an improper method of
laundrying are much benefited by this
cold-water process. Woolens that have
no dyes in them are easily cleansed,
even when much soiled. by soaking in
cold water containing tablespoonful
of family ammonia to every SIX quarts.
If the water is hard dissolue bornx in it
as directed.
| Silks should not be twisted or wrung,
but softly squeezed or pressed, and then
shaken as free as possible from creases
and thoroughly dried. The pressing is
always done on the wrong side, and the
iron should only be warm enough to
smooth out wrinkles, dampened cot
ton or linen cloth being usually laid on
the goods to avoid gloss. If the iron
be too hot the fiber is injured and the
beauty and usefulness of the fabric
spoiled.
For cottons and other printed fabrics
that are likely to fade by washing. a
half pint of salt dissolved in boiling
water is an excellent color setting.
Drop the fabrics into this liquid while
at it's hottest and let them remain until
it is cold, when they may be rinsed in
clean water, dried and ironed upon
their wrong side. 1t is surprising how
much dye from certain colors will re-
main in the salt water, without de-
priving the material of but little, if any,
of it's brightness. 1t is said that an in
termixture of ordinary vinegar, in the
proportion of a tea-cupful to Il gallon
of cold rinsing water, is excellent for
fixing or Frightening the tints of pink
and green cottons. A tablespoonful of
sal-soda dissolved in gallon of cold
rinsing water is also said to improve
blue or purple cottons or linens.
To prevent all colors printed upon
cottons and linens from what is known
as running" it is safest to wash them
in cold, salted water; but if the fabrics
are more than dust-soiled this water
will not cleanse them.
The best method of washing printed
mulls and lawns is to rub them through
cold water and rinse in water into which
potatoes have been grated and strained.
If you have the time the potatoes should
be grated into cold water the day be-
fore. The starch-for this is what it
really is-settles upon the bottom OF
the vessel, and the water and all the
floating particles may be poured of.
The fine deposit may be dissolved in
clean, cold water for rinsing, table,
spoonful being added to every quart of
water, if stiffness is required in the
fabric; but if only triie of firmness is
desirable this quantity is sufficient for
four quarts of water.
If thorough renovating is neces-
sary and there is doubt about the sta
bility of the colorings of printed goods,
warm, but not hot suds, of moderate
strength (white CASTLE soap being best
..,t\ s, l.rN e. .